Metro Atlanta Pediatrician Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

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SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. – An Atlanta pediatrician has pleaded guilty to possessing thousands of images of child pornography.

FBI agents arrested 31-year-old Dr. Paul Bogeun Kim after searching his home on December 19, 2023. He pleaded guilty last week.

According to court documents, Kim was arrested as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operations Unit investigation into a commercial sex ring that targeted underage girls online.

The group used blackmail to force the teens to perform sexual acts and self-harm, investigators said. The group primarily obtains images of their victims on Snapchat and sells them on various online platforms using Bitcoin.

When they tracked a Bitcoin address used in the purchase of three child pornography files for approximately $249, officials said they were able to trace the account to Kim’s home in Sandy Springs.

During their search, officers say they found dozens of electronic devices containing approximately 1,948 images and 798 videos of child pornography. Authorities say several of the videos depicted prepubescent females engaging in sexual acts with adult males or objects.

Around the same time, officials say Kim admitted to purchasing material with cryptocurrency through the Coinbase account on his phone. While Kim told agents he believed the victim in one of the videos was 17 or 18, authorities say she was 15 when she was first questioned by the FBI.

According to authorities, Kim worked in pediatric dental practices in Austell, Dunwoody and Cumming.

“Kim possessed material that depicted the sexual exploitation of minors while parents entrusted their children to his pediatric care,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Possessing child pornography exploits and abuses children, in fact, causing lasting consequences for victims every time the images are distributed online.”

Kim was released on bail, but with conditions that he remain in his home, have no access to the internet and have no contact with children.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 21, 2024.

If you believe you have information that could assist the FBI in its investigation of similar crimes, call the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-225-5324 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.